Dennis Blair, the current director and McConnell’s successor, made news earlier this month when he gave the Senate Select Intelligence Committee a blunt assessment about national cybersecurity.

“The national security of the United States, our economic prosperity and the daily functioning of our government are dependent on a dynamic public and private information infrastructure, which includes telecommunications, computer networks and systems, and the information residing within. This critical infrastructure is severely threatened,” Blair said.

During his tenure as director, McConnell, a retired Navy vice admiral, played a central role in the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative started by former President George W. Bush in January 2008. McConnell now works for the Booz Allen Hamilton consultancy.

The GAO director of information technology issues is leaving government after 16 years. On his way out the door, Dave Powner details how far govtech has come in the past two decades and flags the most critical issues he sees facing federal IT leaders.